Romaine Mulls Selling Tax Receiver's Building

Forecasting a budget shortfall at the end of the 2013 fiscal year, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine is considering selling the former Town Tax Receiver's building, the space that members of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame have touted as their future home on Port Jefferson's Main Street.

In an attempt to raise funds for the cash-strapped town – even "one-offs," or sales that would leave a gap in the following year's revenue totals – Romaine said last week that selling it could reduce the amount the town would have to dip into its reserve funds at the end of 2013.

"For us, it is a non-performing asset we don't need," Romaine said. "And the attitude is we need revenue. Yes, it's one shot, but it's a one-shot we need right now. We have all these expenses and costs because of Sandy, and our reimbursement for that is not going to be 100 percent."

The announcement comes less than two years after Long Island Music Hall of Fame and Brookhaven Town entered into a 15-year lease agreement on the building, with a five-year extension option. It's an agreement Romaine said he believes LIMHOF may be in default of, for failing to pay rent and possibly failing to insure itself.

It remains unclear whether Port Jefferson Village would scoop up the real estate – should it become available – and keep an agreement with LIMHOF in tact, as Mayor Margot Garant just mentioned in last week's village board meeting that the opportunity recently reared its head. The village attorney was directed by Garant to reach out to Brookhaven's law department to consider what steps may be necessary moving forward to get the village involved.

"I want to know what our responsibility is if we are considering being a bidder," Garant said. "I just don't want to turn around to find out they gave it away to somebody."

Village Board members have yet to discuss in public the feasibility of purchasing the building, which Romaine estimated could yield the town anywhere from $1 million to $1.5 million.

Current LIMHOF Chair Jeffrey James said he could not comment on the sale – which Romaine said would preferably go to the village – as conversations are in relatively preliminary stages, and LIMHOF has not been formally made aware by the town of any movement to sell the building. However he said LIMHOF has "absolutely not" breached any terms of its lease with the town.

Former Chair Jim Faith stepped down in January after four years of serving, and said last week that claims of failure to pay rent were false, and both Faith and James said that no rent is involved in the agreement, but rather a nominal fee attached to a lease.

"He probably hasn't read the lease agreement," Faith said.

Brookhaven Councilman Steve Fiore-Roesnfeld said last week he had yet to hear anything about a possible sale, and though he has been "a little disappointed with LIMHOF" for a lack of progress on the space and acknowledged that looking at its sale could be worth doing as the town balances its budget, he likewise expressed concern with Romaine for not bringing him into the conversation.

"Clearly we have financial woes, but it would be good if he breached local councilmen in their neighborhoods when doing things," he said.

Romaine said that should talks with the village bear any fruit, he would bring any relevant information to board as soon as he can.

"I have nothing to bring to the board at this point," he said. "Three-quarters of the conversations I have about raising revenue don't happen. As soon as I have something, I will let the board members know."